Aussie parents are moving away from mainstream school

Parents across Australia are making a bold choice when it comes to their kids’ education - but the reason for many is disgraceful.

Parents across Australia are shunning mainstream education, opting for home schooling to shield their children from the type of bullying that has led to the suicide of Australian children including Charlotte O’Brien, Hamish Carter and Atreyu McCann.

Australia’s largest online full time education provider said one quarter of the “tens of thousands of families” who choose its learning method do so for the “primary reason of bullying”.

An education expert warned caution however, describing homeschooling as a “short-term solution” and an option only to be considered in the most extreme circumstances.

The number of Australian students being homeschooled climbed to a new record of more than 45,000 last year.

Euka Future Learning co-founder, chairman and CEO Brett Campbell said while bullying is the leading reason, the second and third reasons were schools not working for academic reasons, and parents seeking a better approach to schooling.

Only a quarter of the Euka students came for reasons that included flexible learning to allow for selective, elite support and arts and other extra-curricular activities that don’t align with traditional school hours.

Australian children we have lost to suicide: Charlotte O’Brien, Hamish Carter and Atreyu McCann.

“Whatever way you look at it, there is an alarming rate of students that need home schooling because they are being bullied,” Mr Campbell told news.com.au.

“It’s not surprising when you look at anxiety and self harm and the rise of social media,” he said.

Australian actress Clare McCann, who recently lost her 13-year-old boy Atreyu to suicide, told news.com.au she wished she’d never sent him to high school.

She chose to home school Atreyu through his primary school years but then believed she had prepared him for high school this year.

“I thought ‘I’m starting him strong, I’m starting him with love, support, good English good math, alright he’s ready for high school, away we go.’”

The bullying started in the first few weeks and a devastated Ms McCann said “I should have pulled him out then and there.”

“All kids should be home schooled until the education system gets things right.”

Hamish Carter suicided after being bullied for many years. His mum Jodie is fighting for change and wants schools to better handle complaints. Picture: Matrix Pictures/news.com.au

Jodie Carter has vowed to spend her life fighting for change so no other parents go through the horror she is living. Pictures: Matrix/news.com.au

While Kelly and Matt O’Brien had not considered home school for 12-year-old Charlotte, they were considering changing schools the next term unless the bullying was better handled. Devastatingly Charlotte died before the term concluded.

Jodie Carter also regrets not pulling 12-year-old Hamish from his highschool, and said he had been bullied in mainstream school since first grade.

Parents took to social media after hearing Ms Carter’s harrowing story of losing her son, saying they had taken their children out of school, while others shared they had at least considered the option.

“We pulled our youngest out of traditional school and into Distance Education because of bullying too,” one mum wrote on Facebook.

“The ‘No bullying’ policies at school mean nothing! Unlike the school in the article, ours did try to help, but the bullies were relentless! We watched her change, we took her to therapy, we talked with the school.

Australian actress Clare McCann homeschooled 13-year-old son Atreyu for all of his early years. He suicided during his first year in high school. Picture: Supplied

A day no mother should ever have to face. Clare McCann says goodbye to her best friend Atreyu. Picture: NewsWire/John Appleyard

“She became a shell of herself and started hurting herself.”

Another mum said: “These stories absolutely break my heart! I’m so glad I removed my son from mainstream schooling in grade seven, he’s now 16 and his mental health is 100 per cent better. One of the best parenting decisions I ever made.”

Another mum spoke of the “difficult decision” to enrol her son in distance education.

“We didn’t realise how withdrawn he had become until he started to feel safe at home and away from school, and the real person within started to shine through again.”

Dr Brian Moore from the University of Wollongong School of Education has a background as a teacher and school psychologist, and believes that homeschooling is at best a short-term solution to bullying that should only be considered in the most extreme situations.

“From a professional perspective home schooling doesn’t make a lot of sense in terms of educational outcomes because you are taking kids out of the space of experts,” Dr Moore said.

Charlotte O’Brien left notes for her parents asking them to raise awareness, tell the world what happened to her. Picture Supplied by her family.

The days don’t get any easier for grieving mum Kelly O’Brien who finds comfort in Charlie Bear, the cuddly toy that carries her daughter’s ashes. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Dr Moore said it was important to recognise that schools teach more than just literacy and

numeracy. Schools also provide opportunities for social learning.

“By withdrawing students from the school system due to bullying, we’re actually depriving those students of the opportunity for learning how to deal with difficult social situations.” However, Dr Moore noted that this is complex.

“If I was a parent and aware of my child being bullied at school to the extent I had serious mental health concerns, I would certainly be thinking about their safety first and foremost - in that context maybe homeschooling is a reasonable short-term solution, but I don’t see it as a long-term strategy.

“I would only really think about home schooling as a circuit breaker. If you withdraw a child

from the potential learning they can receive in the education system it needs to be done in a

really careful way,” he said. “The merits of professional teachers can’t be underestimated.”

“With hindsight it’s easy to think ‘how didn’t I realise my child was being bullied and withdraw them?’ but it’s not that simple.”